The 1983 LEADS Party

Five months into my one-year extension, to all appearances we had a success on our hands.  I tried to get the American, or at least the Silicon Valley standard successful completion party organized.  I met with nothing but resistance.  The primary celebrant should have been John Cuckney, who had saved his job and more to the point had guaranteed a promotion to bigger and better things.  Secondary were a number of consulting agencies who had a part of this project, some greater and some lesser.  But Lucas had spent millions of pounds on this project and the ramifications reverberated throughout Lucas and computing in the Midlands.  The only group that stepped forward was the female group, represented by one of Sue's friends, a real work-a-holic, and a good businessperson.  Eventually, but not before the event, John Cuckney gave me ₤100, then he and his wife attended and actually took most of the credit for the project success and for the party.  As a good consultant, I kept my mouth shut as to how the party was being financed, hinting that all entities profiting from the venture were supporting the party.  This episode did not engender warm feelings in me towards John, nor to Lucas.  Other than about ₤250, the bulk of the party was on my personal shoulders, not even Rand kicked in.

We held the party on a Sunday, May 29, 1983.  John and I couldn't agree on a date, probably because John didn't really want to have the party.  If he had come to me and said something to the effect that this was similar to my Aston Martin escapade, I probably would have gone along with him.  But John Cuckney didn't talk to me, thinking he could squelch it through his Rand connections and I went ahead with the planning on my own since Rand didn't want to fund it either.  Twenty years later now, this party would probably cost about $10,000.  There were probably a hundred people, everyone felt a part of the success, and John felt a bit chagrined, but that was a part of management.  You can tell by reviewing the bill, that everyone had a great time.

I know that this project and party went down into history as one of the greatest project completion parties in the West Midlands ever.  People are still referring to it twenty years later, as to which Sue will attest, having gone to some of the re-unions.  There was something about projects in those days that transcended company and or job, a feeling of camaraderie that made you feel that your team could tackle any project and make it a success.